Mike Modano on Detroit: 'It's the right fit'

Karen Modano remembers her son's hockey routine like it was
yesterday.

Little Mike would come home from school, put on his hockey gear
and lay on the floor watching television until his dad got home
from work to take him to his youth game.

"We were the first ones there at the rink and the last to
leave," she said.

Mike Modano has a lot of hockey memories in Detroit. From his
time with Little Caesars and Compuware's youth teams to the opening
of the Mike Modano Ice Arena in Westland. Mi., he has been an
important part of hockey in the area -- and it has been an
important part of his life. So when Modano sits at Joe Louis Arena
on Friday and officially holds the press conference that he has
signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings, it will be
interesting.

"There's definitely a lot of memories there, so I'm not sure how
I'll react,'' Modano said. ``I think a big part of it will be
knowing that it's the right place for me to play, it's the right
fit.''

Modano, 40, was told in June that his career with the Stars was
over after 20 seasons. The all-time leader in just about every
offensive category, Modano was not offered a new contract. So, he
did some soul-searching, considered retirement and talked to some
teams. This week, he announced that he had decided to sign a
one-year contract to play for the Red Wings. It will have a base of
$1.25 million and bonuses that could pay him up to $500,000
more.

"Detroit pushed very hard from the start," Modano said. "They
want me there, they think I can help, and they're very open about
it. That was neat. It's such a good organization and they really,
really believe they're going to have a great team this year."

At the very least, the Red Wings should get a rejuvenated
player. The Stars have missed the playoffs for two straight
seasons, have changed coaches and are up for sale. The Red Wings
have made the playoffs for 23 straight seasons and have the same
owner who ran Modano's youth team -- Little Casears owner Mike
Illitch. Plus, there is that nostalgia thing going. Little Caesars
has a locker room right down the hall from the Red Wings and Modano
used to practice at Joe Louis Arena all of the time.

"I grew up knowing the Illitch kids, and there was always
something special about that team and wearing that jersey," Modano
said of the team he played on from ages 10-15. "That light blue and
orange were great colors. You didn't mistake them when you were in
a hockey rink, and there was a real pride in wearing them. "

Plus, you got to practice at "The Joe." That would be like a
youth football team in Dallas practicing at Cowboys Stadium every
day.

"I remember the first time he saw the ice and he just stood
there frozen and stared," Karen Modano said. "There's definitely a
lot of great memories there for him."

Even at home. Karen and Mike Sr. live in the same house and have
kept Mike's trophy-covered room pretty much the same as it was when
he was a kid. His nephews love to sleep there when they stay over,
Karen said.

"It is like a time machine," Mike said. "It's like walking back
into 1985."

Modano knows it won't be easy to do that on the ice, but he also
knows that he's not done with hockey. Modano spent the last seven
days golfing 36 holes a day in Scotland and said he feels like he's
in great shape. In addition to feeling he has some gas left in the
tank, he's excited by the fact that everyone involved with the Red
Wings feels the same way. When Modano visited Detroit and took in a
game at Tigers Stadium to discuss a contract, he received the full
push from Illitch, GM Ken Holland and coach Mike Babcock. In fact,
Babcock has been very vocal with his support, telling www.nhl.com
that Modano could play two more years despite signing a one-year
contract.

"I'm a big believer he'll end up playing again next year, too,"
Babcock said. "I think he's got that kind of legs left in him. And,
remember, he's not coming here to be the guy; he's coming here to
be one of the guys."

Modano said the chance to play on a team with teammates like
Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg is exciting.
He said the chance to play for a coach like Babcock, who led Team
Canada to the Olympic gold medal in 2010, also is exciting. But,
mostly it will be neat to play in a place where it all started.

After his press conference on Friday, Modano and his wife will
spend the rest of the weekend visiting the parents and looking for
a house to rent.

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